Dec. 6, 2011
FRANKLIN — Gov. Bill Haslam said Monday that his administration is trying to speed up the time it takes for poultry farms to get environmental permits.
The Republican governor said after a speech to the Farm Bureau that his goal is for the state to strike the “right balance between our stewardship responsibilities and making certain we’re providing product and providing jobs.”
Agriculture Commissioner Julius Johnson said neighboring states are quicker to grant permits for chicken farms and noted that Tennessee’s rules are slightly stricter than federal standards. “And that’s one of the problems,” he said.
“We’re competing with Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Kentucky,
We stand with you! Let us know how we can help you maintain your biodynamic farm and stave off the corporate steamroller! How can they get a permit to destroy neighboring land and the water supply? That’s unamerican!